Cardiology Associates Dr. Karl Crossen Receives MSMA Community Service Award

TUPELO, Miss. - Sept. 3, 2013 - PRLog -- The Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA) recently honored two Mississippi physicians and a nurse at a ceremony for the 2013 Excellence in Medicine Awards. Recipients and respective honors include:

• Carlton Gorton, MD; Belzoni, Miss. – Dr. James C. Waites Leadership Award

• Karl Crossen, MD; Tupelo, Miss. – MSMA Community Service Award

• Michael Jones; Jackson, Miss. – MSMA Award for Excellence in Wellness Promotion

The Dr. James C. Waites Leadership Award honors one physician under the age of 50 who is an outstanding leader in organized medicine and community affairs. The Waites Award recipient for 2013, Carlton Gorton MD, of Belzoni, has demonstrated tremendous leadership skills in his time as a physician by participating as an active member of the Mississippi State Medical Association (MSMA). Dr. Gorton has practiced in Belzoni since completing his residency at the University Mississippi Medical Center in 2004. Dr. Gorton also serves as the chair of the Rural Physicians Scholarship Program.

Dr. Karl Crossen, recipient of the 2013 MSMA Community Service Award, graduated from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 1981 in Electrophysiology. He was board-certified as a Medical Examiner in 1982, Internal Medicine in 1983, received a subspecialty of Cardiovascular Disease in 1987, and a subspecialty of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology in 1992. Dr. Crossen currently practices at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo as an Electrophysiologist.

Following the tragic death of Weston Reed, a young soccer player in Tupelo who went into full cardiac arrest on the field, Dr. Crossen spearheaded efforts to offer free sports physicals for athletes as young as sixth grade and to add heart screenings to the free sports physicals offered to varsity student-athletes by North Mississippi Medical Center. More than 2,000 children participate in these two events each year, demonstrating the tremendous impact this program has had on Dr. Crossen's hometown community.

Each child gets an EKG, and those with suspicious results also get a free echocardiogram to rule out potential congenital defects. This program took shape due primarily to Dr. Crossen's tireless efforts to coordinate and plan each event. Tupelo has benefitted greatly from it. Dr. Crossen has demonstrated exemplary community servi ce on behalf of medicine. Thanks to his efforts, children in northeast Mississippi can take part in extracurricular activities with more assurance of their health and safety.The 2012 MSMA Excellence in Wellness Promotion award winner, Michael Jones, an honor graduate of the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Nursing, has worked in the areas of orthopedic nursing, rehabilitation, and community health. Jones established and has served as the Director of Healthy Linkages for the medical center for five years. Previously, Jones worked for the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association as the Director of Clinical Quality. In this role, he served as the liaison for clinical professionals working in the state’s 21 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

Working with other UMMC leadership, he has established the Healthy Linkages program, which brings together the leadership of Mississippi’s 21 FQHC’s, the Mississippi State Department of Health, community service agencies, volunteer groups, governmental representatives, and others interested in preventive medicine and quality care. These individuals meet regularly to improve communication and discuss mechanisms for improving access to specialty care and medical homes for the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

Jones’ effort has resulted in improved access to care throughout the state of Mississippi. He conceived, established, and now directs the UMMC Community Health Advocate Training Program which has trained and certified approximately 1,000 advocates and trainers in faith-based and community-based entities. Jones has shown an exceptional level of leadership, innovation, and compassion to improve the health of all Mississippians. The work he does has and will continue to result in long-term positive outcomes for the patients of this state.

For more information about the MSMA and its efforts to promote a healthy Mississippi, please visit the association website at www.MSMAonline.com.

For more information about Cardiology Associates of North Mississippi go to www.canm.com and at www.varicoseveinstupelo.com .